“What have we become when the sincere, decent, principled attempt to save the lives of children and others is a catalyst for so much anger and hate?” were the words of Carmarthen East and Dinefwr MS Adam Price in the Senedd this week.

He was speaking during a debate on the 20mph limit that was introduced across Wales. The new speed limit has sparked a petition, which has gained more than 400,000 signatures, and comes as many signs are being found defaced in communities across the country.

Mr Price was speaking specifically in relation to seeing the 20mph signs on Blaenau Road, Llandybie being defaced, just 100 yards from where his cousin was killed by a car 51 years ago.

Mr Price told the Senedd’s Plenary: “The political has become personal in the wrong way in this motion but for me at the heart of this policy, the personal and political are tightly intertwined.

“It’s 51 years ago since one Sunday morning, I crawled into my parents’ bed only to be told something as a four-year-old I could hardly fathom.

“My cousin Malcolm, just a year older, had gone to be with God. The night before, his parents Agnes and Len, were sat on the bus in Llandybie waiting to go to Ammanford to meet my parents at the Miners' Welfare. Malcolm bach was safely across the road with our grandmother but in a split second he decided he wanted to say one last goodnight, so he ran across the road to the bus stop waving and smiling, until a car overtaking the stationary bus stopped him in his tracks while his mother and father watched.

“He died in their arms, it was his last goodbye. And in that instant, their world, our world, and that of the family of the entirely innocent driver became darker and smaller forever.

“Can we say for certain that if the speed limit had been 20mph on that stretch of Blaenau Road that night that my cousin would have been alive today? No, but we can certainly say the chances would have been very significantly higher. This policy will certainly save some lives. The only uncertainty is how many. So I am proud to have voted in favour of it and proud that it was included in our manifesto.

“In preparation for this debate, I went on a personal pilgrimage yesterday to the spot where Malcolm died. I saw the new 20mph sign 100 yards or so away. It had already been daubed with paint. And I thought to myself what have we become when the sincere, decent, principled attempt to save the lives of children and others is a catalyst for so much anger and hate.”

He also spoke of understanding and respecting those who do disagree with the policy who have expressed it in a civilised way, praising Lee Waters, deputy minister for climate change and infrastructure, for the way he has handled the policy and criticism from ‘vicious and venomous personal opposition’. Mr Price also called for more civility.

He said: "The government has done the right thing with this policy but that does not say that they’ve done everything right and listening and empathy and reflectivity are vital steps in any democratic process."

Adding: “So lets make the process of making exceptions as simple and as accessible and as clear and consistent as possible. But the minister has been clear and consistent about the policy he was proposing. He based it not on lies but on evidence. He has stuck to his principles, sometimes against the most vicious and venomous personal opposition. Far from breaching the ministerial code, he has been the very embodiment of the principles of integrity at its heart.

“We need more of this honesty and courage in our politics, not less, and we need to learn to disagree with civility and respect.”